Spout construction



June 17, 1941. o. J. GAEDIG SPOUT CONSTRUCTION Filed April 15. 1940 Patented June 17, 1941 SPOUT CONSTRUCTION Otto J. Gaedig, St. Louis, Mo., assigner to Sefton Fibre Can Company, Maplewood, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Application April 15, 1940, Serial No. 329,615

Claims.

This invention relates to the spout construc-` tion of a container of the kind having a discharge opening therein which is normally closed by a spout that is pivoted for movement from cut-off to pouring position. The principal object of the present invention is to provide a combination cut-off and spout member adapted for ready insertion in and self-holding pivotal engagement with the Idischarge opening of the container and to simplify and cheapen the construction of such member. The invention consists in the spout construction and in the arrangements and cornbination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is an exterior face View of a container having a discharge opening provided with a spout construction embodying my invention the spout being shown closed,

Fig. 2' is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. l, showing the spout in open position,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is a similar section on the line 6 6 in Fig. 4,

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. l, showing the manner in which the spout is inserted in the discharge opening of the container; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the blank from which the spout is formed.

In the accompanying drawing, my invention is shown embodied in a cardboard container of the kind commonly used for holding household commodities, such as salt. Such container comprises a hollow cylindrical body A, which is permanently closed at one end by a peripherally flanged slip cover B having a discharge elongated openN ing C in the flat end wall thereof. As shown in the drawing, the discharge opening C has straight side and end edges and is of gradually decreasing width from end to end.

The discharge opening C of the container is provided with a combination spout and closure or cut-od D formed from a blank of resilient sheet metal or other suitable material. The metal `spout D comprises a pair of spaced, sector shaped side walls I that are connected along one straight edge by a flat web 2 which terminates beyond the convexly curved comes 3 of said side walls in a rounded lifting end or tab 4. At its other end, the web 2 has an extension that is offset downwardly, as at 5, opposite the second straight edge E of said side wall I and is thence folded over, as at 1, upon the portion 5 and terminates in a portion 8 that is folded flatwise upon the upper surface of said web. As shown in the drawing, the folded or doubled over portion I of the rear end extension of the web 2 of the spout is offset downwardly below said web a distance corresponding substantially to the thickness of the Wall of the cover B and is extended laterally outwardly beyond the side walls I of said spout to form lugs 9. The folded over portion B of the rear end extension of the web 2 of the spout is offset above the plane of the downwardly offset portion 'I a distance corresponding substantially to the thickness of the wall of the cover B and is also extended laterally outwardly beyond the side wall I of said spout to form lugs I0 similar to but separated from the lugs 9 by notches II of a width slightly greater than the thickness of said wall of said cover. Thus the spout is provided on each side of the wide or rear end of the web thereof with a pair of spaced laterally projecting lugs 9 and II). As shown in the drawing, each side wall of the metal spout is provided at the free outer end of the straight edge 6 thereof with an outstanding stop lug I2. The web 2 of the spout between the side walls I thereof is of the same size and shape as the discharge opening C; and said side walls diverge outwardly from said web to their convex free marginal edges 3.

The spout is attached to the container by placing 'the end thereof having the laterally extending lugs 9 and I diagonally in the discharge opening, with the pair of spaced lugs at one corner `of the wide end of the web disposed one above and the other below the margin of said opening at the corresponding corner thereof; and said spout is then swung horizontally 'towards the other corner of the large end of said opening to bring the other pair of spaced lugs one above and the other below the margin of said opening at said other corner thereof. The self-holding engagement of the spout with the discharge opening is then completed by swinging the sector shaped side wall of said spout downwardly through said opening while springing the flared side walls inwardly far enough to enable the outstanding stop lugs I2 thereof to pass the side edges of said openings after which said side walls are allowed to spring outwardly into frictional engagement with said side edges with said lugs disposed beneath said cover and extending on opposite sides of said opening.

In the closed position of the spout D, the tapered web 2 thereof snugly ts the correspondsaid opening. Thus, when the rounded extension 4 at the narrow end of the web 2 of the spout is pulled away from the cover B, the inner lugs 9 rock edgewise on the under surface of the cover and the outer lugs IU rock edgewise on the upper surface of the cover and thereby constitute a pivotal connection between the wide end of said web and said cover. During the opening and closing movements of the spout the aring side walls I thereof bear fiatwise against the longitudinal edges of the discharge opening C and are sprung inwardly thereby, thus maintaining a leak proof joint between said side walls and said edges during the entire opening and closing movement of said spout. During the entire swinging movement of the spout, the convex edges 3 of the sector shaped side walls I thereof are in continuous edgewise engagement with the transverse edge of the discharge opening C at the small end thereof and thus serve to maintain the shoulder I 3 formed by the upwardly offset portion 8 of t -e wide end of the web 2 of said spout in rocking engagement with the transverse edge of said opening at the large end thereof.

The hereinbefore described spout construction has numerous advantages. It is simple, and economical to manufacture and may be quickly and easily pressed from a one-piece blank. The spout may be readily attached to the container for self-holding pivotal engagement with the discharge opening thereof without the use of separate fasteners or pivots. The resiliency of the flaring side walls of the spout maintains said walls in frictional engagement with longitudinal side edges of the opening and thus prevents leakage therebetween and also tends to frictionally hold the spout in closed position, while the con- Vex edges'of said side walls and the shoulder I3 at the wide end of the web of the spout are in substantially continuous engagement with the respective end edges of the discharge opening and thus tend to prevent said spout from shifting endwise in said opening.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a container wall having a discharge opening therethrough with a continuous unbroken edge and a spout for said opening comprising side walls connected by a web for closing said opening, said web having adjacent to one end thereof pairs of lugs projecting laterally outwardly therefrom in flatwise relation thereto on opposite sides thereof, the pair of lugs on each side of said web being spaced apart longitudinally thereof and extending respectively into overlapping and underlapping relation to said container wall to thereby provide a pivotal connection between said end of said web and said container wall adjacent to the corresponding end of said opening, all of said lugs being disposed in atwise relation to said container wall in the closed position of said spout and in edgewise relation to said container wall in the open position of said spout, said end of said web having an extension that terminates beyond the corresponding ends of said side walls and forms one lug of each pair, whereby said extension and the lugs formed thereon are disposed beneath said container wall beyond said end of said opening in the closed position of said spout.

2. In combination, a container wall having a H discharge opening therethrough and a member for closing said opening, said member having adjacent to one end thereof pairs of lugs projecting laterally therefrom on opposite sides thereof, the pair of lugs on each side of said member being spaced apart longitudinally thereof a distance equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of said container wall and disposed in similarly spaced parallel planes, and extending respectively into overlapping and underlapping relation to said wall to thereby provide a pivotal connection between said end of said member and said wall adjacent to the corresponding end of said opening.

3. In combination, a container Wall having a discharge opening therethrough and a member for closing said opening, said member having adjacent to one end thereof pairs of lugs projecting laterally therefrom in atwise relation thereto on opposite sides thereof, the pair o-f lugs on each side of said member being spaced apart longitudinally thereof a distance equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of said container wall and disposed in similarly spaced parallel planes, and extending respectively into overlapping and underlapping relation to said wall to thereby provide a pivotal connection between said end of said member and said wall adjacent to the corresponding end of said opening, said lugs being disposed in latwise relation to said wall in the closed position of said member and in edgewise rocking relation to said wall during the opening and closing movement of said member.

4. In combination, a container wall having a discharge opening therethrough and a sheet metal spout for said opening comprising side walls connected by a web for closing said opening, said web having adjacent to one end thereof an extension having a doubled-back portion downwardly offset beyond the corresponding ends of said side walls and an upwardly offset end portion that lies flatwise upon the upper surface of said web, said downwardly offset portion extending beneath said container wall on opposite sides of said opening and said upwardly offset end portion overhanging said container wall on said sides of said opening to thereby provide a pivotal connection between said end of said web and the corresponding end of said opening.

5. In combination, a container wall having a discharge opening therethrough and a sheet metal spout for said opening comprising side walls connected by a web for closing said opening, said web having adjacent to one end thereof an extension having a doubled-back portion downwardly offset beyond the corresponding ends of said side walls and an upwardly offset end portion that lies flatwise upon the upper surface 0f said web, said downwardly offset portion extendving beneath said container wall on opposite sides of said opening and said upwardly offset end portion overhanging said container wall on said sides of said opening to thereby provide a pivotal connection between said end of said web and the corresponding end of said opening, said offset portions of said web extension forming a shoulder opposite said last mentioned end of said opening, and said side walls having convexly curved edges adapted to engage the edge of said opening at the other end thereof in all pivotal positions of said spout and thereby maintain said shoulder in substantially abutting relation to the adjacent end edge of said opening.

OTTO J. GAEDIG. 

